


Crystal Tears

by Syble



Category: Battlestar Galactica (1978)
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-22
Updated: 2015-04-22
Packaged: 2018-03-25 07:26:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3801874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syble/pseuds/Syble
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Starbuck goes missing during a battle, it's more than Apollo can take.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crystal Tears

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, no beta, all mistakes are my own. :)

He was so tired. Leaning his head back against the headrest of the chair, Apollo closed his eyes. Memories flashed across the inside of his eyelids. The battle had been fierce, the day almost lost. Yet they had survived - sort of. 

A memory, sharp and new, lanced through him and he opened his eyes to stare up at the multitude of stars, trying to erase the images from his mind. But he was as unsuccessful at that as he was at preventing as fresh wave of hot tears to course down his face. 

Despite his efforts his mind played the images across the stars around him. 

A viper, barely one length in front of him, shook from an impact of a Cylon laser. The viper flipped end over end, tumbling back behind his line of sight. A second Rader following the first, zeroed in for the kill.

Desperately, he placed himself between the two ships, in the path of the on the on coming raider. His ship shuddered from the resulting laser hit, sparking a firestorm of overloaded electronics and circuits. 

The raider past over him, going for the other ship behind him.

He threw the controls to the side in a desperate attempt to head off the Raider, but his ship didn’t respond.

He felt the shockwave of the blast from behind him as the clear tillilum of his cockpit reflected the bright flash back at him. 

No. It wasn’t possible. 

He flipped override switches, switches that blurred before him, as fast as he could, but it was 30 heart stopping agonizing millacentons before his ship responded. 

He craned his head as he turned his ship around to search for the other viper that had to be there. 

Nothing.

His ship rocked sideways from an exploding raider but he paid it no attention. He ignored the calls from for reassurance that he was unhurt. His eyes scanned the area before him desperation making him dizzy. 

Opening his mic he steadied his voice. “ Starbuck?”

There were responses, but not from Starbuck.

“Starbuck?” He listened again, ignoring all voices that were not the one he beg the gods to let him hear.

“Starbuck, answer me!” 

“I don’t see him, Apollo. Are you alright.” At Boomer’s words, reality snapped back into focus, the battle back into existence around him. 

“No, Boomer, I’m not. 

He had prayed to every Lord and God he could think of, to please take him instead, please let Starbuck be alive, let him live. 

But there was no response from the brash Lieutenant. No sign of his viper. Nothing. 

\----------------

Apollo looked at the panel before him as a annoying noise caught his attention. 

On the panel before him a yellow light flashed insistently at him. But for some reason he couldn’t understand it’s meaning. Idly he turned the sound off. 

Looking back at the stars he noticed an odd sparkle. Almost crystalline in its sharpness. The crystalline shape grew as he watched. It was fascinating to watch as it divided itself into more and more complicated patters across the space before him. 

His attention was once again brought back to the panel by an insistent noise and a new light, a red light had joined the yellow one. He watched fascinated as they pulsed in unison. 

He should do something about those lights, but he was too tired to remember what. Again he reached out and turned off the piercing noise. 

He felt exhausted, spent; yet deep inside something was nagging at him to do... something. What? He tried to focus, to think. 

Out of the corner of his eye something raced across the stars, straight as a dagger the crystalline shape had sliced across the dome the fractures spreading in beautiful patterns. 

In the back of his mind he focus on an odd phrase - Explosive decompression. Yes, that was it. The pattern would shatter beautifully that way. 

He leaned back to watch and wait for that explosive finale to the show before him. 

\-----------------------

Starbuck pounded on the hatch, but it was not good. The soundproofing would prevent any sound from traveling through to the inner dome. 

“What’s the problem?” Boomer hollered below him.

“It’s locked.“ He called back. 

“Get out of the way - let me at it.”

Reluctantly, Starbuck backed down the ladder to let Boomer at the hatch.

“It’s a three link lock.”

“Can you override it?”

“I think so.”

At that moment red lights begin to flash around the room. Below the nearest light a warning was flashing - /Structural integrity compromised/.

“Hurry Boomer!”

“Just one more centon..”

“I don’t think we have it.”

“Frak!” That was all the warning Starbuck got before a shower of sparks descended upon his head from above. 

“What happened?!”

“Power cell shorted, tripping the lock circuit. Starbuck jump back out of the way as Boomer slide down the ladder rails. “I’ll resets the circuits, you get ready to open the hatch.” Starbuck raced up the ladder and watched as Boomer narrowly missed colliding with the medical team that had finally arrived. 

“Hurry Boomer,” he pleaded to himself. 

Then the lights on the lock flashed on and Starbuck spun the now free moving release wheel. 

He charged up into the dome and vaulted up onto the raise platform. Above him the dome was a mass of spiral fractures. He grab the unresponsive body from the chair and hauled him off the platform into the med techs waiting arms. Together they lowered the limp body down the hatch where other hands took over. 

The med tech clamored down the small ladder, Starbuck right behind him. Starbuck felt the change of pressure as he tried to slam the hatch shut, but just before the latches caught the dome shattered. The force nearly wrenched the hatch out of Starbuck’s grip but somehow he managed to hold on and close the hatch. 

Starbuck leaned his head again the ladder rung, gasping for breath. Below him the med techs were carrying Apollo’s body out into the corridor beyond the engine room. Starbuck slid down the ladder and raced after them. Once outside the room the door closed cutting off the deafening sound, reducing it to a low roar. 

Starbuck fell to his knees at Apollo’s side. 

“Apollo? " But there was no response. He just lay there, his eyes open, but there was no recognition in the black stare. “What’s wrong with him?” 

“I don’t know, his vitals are good.”

“Starbuck?” The questioning voice was barely audible and Starbuck wondering if he’d imagined it as he looked into the blank green eyes. Then those eyes shift to look at him. “Starbuck?” 

“I’m here Apollo.”

“What happened?”

“The Dome was damaged in the fire fight. It cracked.”

“No. You, what happened to you?”

“I lost power and couldn’t regain control of my viper for a while. Luckily, I tumbled out of the firefight. By the time I managed to get my viper to respond the battle was over. Apollo, why didn’t you get out of the dome? You had to have seen the fractures.”

“You're alive?”

“Yes, we both are.”

The exhaustion that that had all but paralyzed him and held him prisoner evaporated in the face of the reality of Starbuck. The fog that had held his emotions at bay fled, but in the back of his mind he heard laughter. “I almost had you that time, Apollo. Never fear, I will get my revenge.”

Ignoring the voice Apollo look up into the most welcome sight he’d ever seen. “Starbuck!“ He sat up abruptly, dizziness overwhelming him. 

“Whoa buddy, just take it easy.“

“Iblis!”

“Iblis? Pol your not make any sense. Just lie back and let the techs have a look at you.” 

“You're alive. Starbuck I thought...”

“I’m fine. You know I can’t stand to go anywhere without you.”

Apollo allowed them to lie him back down, his eyes devouring the precious sight of Starbuck; alive.”

“You’ll be alright,” Starbuck whispered at him. 

“As long as you are with me, I will be safe.” 

Starbuck walked beside the gurney as they wheeled Apollo down the corridor. He squeezed the hand that clung to his so desperately. “Always, Pol, always.”


End file.
